76ers Do Number On Bucks Philadelphia Scores 3rd Win In Row 134-109

March 31, 1988|by KEITH GROLLER, The Morning Call

Maybe the Philadelphia 76ers got it backwards . . . you know, the saying about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb.

The Sixers may have entered this month as meekly as a lamb, but they certainly ended it with a mighty roar, ravaging the Milwaukee Bucks 134-109 last night at the Spectrum before 10,895 delighted fans.

The win was Philadelphia's third in a row, the 76ers' eighth in their last 11 games and allowed them to finish March at 9-6 - the only winning month the Sixers have had all season. They are now 32-38 overall and own a 1 1/2 game lead over Washington (30-39) in the battle for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Want more positive numbers?

Well, the 134 points was their high for the season, topping the 129 scored against Indiana March 18 and the 25-point difference was their second biggest margin of victory this season with only a 116-85 thrashing of Boston on Nov. 20 being more decisive.

For the second time in three nights it was a fabulous frontline effort that made things look easy for Philly. Charles Barkley, Cliff Robinson and Mike Gminski combined for 81 points last night after joining forces for 67 points and in Monday's win over Houston.

"You all didn't believe me when I said we'd be strong down the stretch, but I told you we would be and now we're proving it," said Barkley, who had game-highs of 33 points and 14 rebounds. "We've got one of the best frontlines in the league, a frontline that can score on anybody.

"You don't see teams sagging down and double-teaming me anymore. They don't because I'll kick the ball back to Mike, who can hit outside jumpers all night, or to Cliff, who can score on any other forward in the league."

The Sixers had no trouble scoring on any of the Bucks last night as they clicked on a season-high shooting percentage of 64.6 (51-for-79). Also, the Sixers are finally developing the running game management has wanted all along as they had 14 fastbreak opportunities last night.

"The defense has been the key to creating all the running opportunities," said Sixer Coach Jimmy Lynam, who raised his personal record to 12-15 after nine losses in his first 11 games since taking over for Matt Guokas.

"I thought our defense tonight in the first six minutes of the second quarter was as good as its been all year. I think when good things happen for you offensively, you're more ready to get back and play hard on defense and that's what we did tonight."

The performance impressed Milwaukee, the Sixers' first-round playoff opponent the past two years and a team used to playing down-to-the-wire nailbiters against the Sixers.

"The Sixers played tonight like they're playing for the world championship instead of the last playoff spot," said Buck Head Coach Del Harris. "They played very well. They have had a lot of injuries over the year and now they don't. You can see the difference."

It was immediately noticeable last night as the Sixers in general, and Barkley in particular (18 points), got off to a fast start. Still, the Bucks stayed within 32-30 at the end of the first quarter, thanks to a balanced effort that featured six points apiece from Jack Sikma, Sidney Moncrief and Ricky Pierce.

The Sixers, using the strong defense Lynam alluded to, opened some ground at the outset of the second quarter, outscoring the Bucks 11-0 before Paul Pressey broke the streak with a 13-foot jumper with 8:43 left in the first half. Philly sizzled through the rest of the second period, hitting 15-of-20 shots and the Bucks were fortunate to be down only 66-55 at halftime.

Milwaukee seemed determined to make things interesting early in the second half and even closed to within 72-65 with 8:23 left in the third period before the Sixers resumed command. The home team closed the third stanza with a 10-2 burst to lead 98-79 entering the final quarter.

Milwaukee could never get closer than 15 in the final stanza and the only suspense left was whether or not the 76ers would reach 125 points - the magical figure that enables all in attendance to get a free breakfast sandwich at McDonald's this morning.

No matter whether they have Egg McMuffins are not for breakfast this morning, the Sixers will wake up in a good mood.

"This is a lot of fun," said Robinson, who scored 26 points and dished out (no, this is not a misprint) seven assists, one under a season-high for one of the NBA's most heralded ballhogs.

"The difference is now, we know what to expect of each other. We're hitting the open man, yes, even me. Plus, we're at the right place at the right time. We know each other's moves, favorite spots. You couldn't ask for a better time to be putting it all together."

Can it continue?

"Sure it can," said Maurice Cheeks, who dished out 12 assists. "It wasn't that we were playing bad before, we just didn't do things right at the end of games. We've always played hard. Jimmy (Lynam) said all along that some teams were going to have to pay for all those tough losses, now they are.

"It's been a real frustrating year, but things are getting better. This is the first time in my career that we're fighting for a playoff berth instead of just home-court advantage at this time of the season."